Railway car



June` 24,1930.vv

w. E. WINE RALWAY CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed "Aug 28, 1929 n n" n HPV- T Fun .l G/0 t Patented June 24, 1930 i UNITED vSArss WILLIAM E. WINE, Fl TOLEDO, OHIO RAILWAY CAR Application filed August 28, 1929. Serial No. 389,017.

My invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to improvements in the lading discharge doors thereof and it has forits principal object the provision `of simple and rugged means for reinforcing and stiffening such doors. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide means for rigidly connecting the Vstiffeners of each door.

A primary feature of the invention consists in providing the door with a ystiffening member having a portion secured thereto and a portion extending outwardly beyond the adjacent side of the car, said member having a top flange and a portion substantially normal thereto, the portion of the flange underlying the door projecting from one side of the normal portion and the portion of the flange extending beyond the side of the car projecting from the opposite side of the said normal portion.

Another feature of theL invention consists in providing the door stiflening member with reversely disposed channel sections, one of said channel sections underlying and being secured to the door and the other of said channel sections being disposed outwardly of the adjacent side of the car for co-operating with mechanism for supporting the door in closed position.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing improved means for rigidly connecting those portions of thestiffening members of each door whichv are spaced downwardly from the floor of the car. f

Other and more specific features of the invention residing in advantageous'forms, combinations and relations of' parts will hereinafter appear and be pointed yout in the claims. y

In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view., partly in section, of a gondola car showing the invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the construction illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 1. f

Figure 4 is a plan View of one ofthe door stiffeners. f

Figure 5 is an end View of the stiffener.

Figure 6 isa sectional View taken `on line 6-,6, Figure 4.

For purposes of illustrating the invention a gondola car having wooden lading discharge doors has been chosen, but it will be understood as the specification proceeds that the invention is not limited in its application to cars or doors of these types. Furthermore, since the Vconstruction ofthe stiffeners applied to each door of the car is the same, only one door and the portion of the car construction immediately adjoining it has been illustrated.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates one of the car center sills and 2 a side sill of the car. The floor S of the car, which rests upon and is supported by these sills, .is provided with a plurality of lading discharge openings, one ofvwhich is shown at 4. The wooden sides 5 of the car are strengthened and reinforced by side stakes 6 and diagonally extending braces 7" which are preferably rigidly secured to the adjacent side sill by rivets 8.

lThe doors 9 for closing the lading discharge openings, are hingedly connected to the car adjacent the center sills in a manner to be hereinafter described and each preferably comprises a plurality of planks or boards rigidly connectedV by stiffening members 10. To prevent the escape of fine lading between the doors and the portions of the fioor bounding the door openings, metal strips 11, or the like, may be'conveniently employed, the strips being secured tothe floor so tlia:tportions thereof will' overlapV the top surface of the door when the latter is in closed position.

Each of the door stiffening members 10 has offset or spaced portions 12 and 13, respectively, the former underlying and being secured to the doorand the latter being spaced below the car floor to project beneath the adjacent sidersill and outwardly beyond the Car side. These portions of thedoor stiffeners are respectively connected by inclined portions 14 and all portions of the stiffeners are formed with upper and lower flanges 15 and 16, respectively, connected by web portions 17 arranged substantially normal thereto. The portion of the flange 15 of each of the stiffeners which underlies the door is formed with a plurality of apertures for receiving bolts 9n employed to secure the stiffeners to the planks comprising the door.

To hingedly connect the door to the car body the inner end of each stiifener may advantageously be integrally formed with an apertured portion 18 to cooperate with a hinge )in 19 carried by a bracket 20 rigidly secured to the adjacent center sill 1. At their opposite ends the flanges 15 of the stiffeners are adapted to respectively co-operate with mechanisms 21 employed to support the door in closed position. Each of these mechanisms comprises a pivoted hook 22 having a shoulderadapted to engage the under side of the flange 15. Since it is desirable to hingedly connect the door to the car body at points spaced a relatively great distance apart, the stiffening members are secured to the door adjacent its side edges. However, in order that the diagonal braces 7 and appurtenances with which the side of the car may be provided will not interfere with the mounting and free operation of the door supporting mechanisms v21 it is necessary that the projecting ends of the stiifeners be brought closer together than the hinged ends thereof. Furthermore, it is desirable that the door supporting mechanisms be relatively close together, as then va practically three point support is provided for the door and the advantages of supporting the door at three points are, of course, well known.

To accomplish this purpose, namely, to space the hinged ends of the door stiftening members a greater distance apart than the ends thereof which co-operate with the door supporting mechanisms, the down-` wardly inclined portions 14 thereof converge toward each other, while the respective portions 12 and 13 of the members are preferably arranged so as to parallel each other.

As offsetting the stiffeners so as to cause them to converge toward each other tends to impair their rigidity and to subject them to eccentric loadings, the portion of the upper flange of each, which underlies the door, projects from the web portion 17 in a direction opposite to that in which the portion of the upper flange that co-operates with the pivoted door supporting hook projects therefrom. By arranging these portions of the flanges in this manner the inner and outer ends of each stiffener may be transversely offset the desired amount with a minimum distortion or offsetting of the web portion 17. It will thus be seen that the stiffeners are each provided with reversely disposed channel sections and that they are secured to the door so that the flanges of the channel sections which underlie the door project away from each other, while the flanges of the channel sections which are spaced below the car floor project toward each other.

At the points where the webs 17 of the stiffeners converge toward each other the upper and lower flanges project from both sides thereof, as on opposite sides of the points of convergence the webs respectively connect opposite marginal edges of the flanges. Thus, the amount of convergence of the flanges of the stiffencrs is greater than that of the webs, thereby keeping to a minimum the impairment of rigidity and the eccentric loading of the stiffeners arising from the transverse offset formed in each.

The portions of the stiffeners which are spaced below the car floor are rigidly connected so as to prevent their relative displacement. The means employed for this purpose may comprise an angle shaped member 23 having legs or flanges 24- and 25, respectively. The opposite ends of the leg 24 are adapted to underlie and be rigidly secured by rivets 26 to adjacent portions of the top flange l5 of the stiffeners, while opposite ends of the flange or leg 25 are rigidly secured by rivets 27 to portions 28 which are integrally formed with the stiffeners and project laterally therefrom substantially normal to adjacentportions of the respective top flanges 15. By connecting the stiffeners in this manner it will be readily perceived that their outer ends are tied together in a most eective manner.

The foregoing construction results in the production of strong and rugged members, which, in addition to serving as means for stiffeningl the door, also function to co-operate with means for pivotally connecting it to the car body and for supporting it in closed position.

I claim:

1. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, of a stiffening member for the door having a top flange and a portion substantially normal thereto, a portion of said flange being secured to the door and a portion thereof being adapted to co-operate with mechanism for supporting the door in closed position, the portion of the flange secured to the door projecting in one direction from the normal portion of the stiffening member and the portion of the flange adapted to co-operate with the door supporting mechanism projecting in the op- 2. In a railway car having a lading disyond the adjacent side of the car, the`portion of the flange on one side of said incline projecting in one direction from the normal portion of the member, the portion of the flange on the other side of said incline projccting in the opposite direction from the said normal portion and the portion of the flange at the incline of said member projecting in both directions from the said normal portion.

3. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, of a plurality of stiffening members secured to the underside j of the door and projecting beyond a side of the car for cooperation with mechanism to support the door in closed position, the portions of the stiffening members underlying the door being of substantially channel shape and arranged so that their flanges eX- tend away from each other, the outwardly projecting portions of the members being also of channel shape and being arranged so that their flanges extend toward each other.

4. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, of a stiffening member for the door having a plurality of flanges and a web, said member being secured'to the underside of the door and extending outwardly beyond the side of the car for cooperation with mechanism to support the door in closed position, the flanges of the portion of the member underlying the door projecting from the web in a direction opposite to that in which the flanges of the outwardly projecting portion of the memberproject therefrom.

5, In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, of a stiffening member for the door having a pluralityy of flanges and a web, said member being secured to the door and being inclined downwardly and outwardly intermediate its ends to project beyond an adjacent side of the car for'cooperation with mechanism to support the door in closed position, the flanges of the portion of the member underlying thev door projecting from the web in a direction opposite to that in which the flanges of the outwardly projecting portion of the member project therefrom and the flanges on the inclined portion of the meinher projecting in both directions from the web.

6. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with'a door for closiiio' said opening, of a plurality of D o c flanged door stifleners. respectively having spaced portions disposed in substantially parallel planes, the spaced portions of each of said stiffening members'being connected byportions which converge `toward each other, corresponding parallel portions of said members being respectively yprovided withflanges projecting away from and toward each other.

7. In a railway car having a lading disL charge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, ofa plurality of door stiffeners respectively yhaving spaced portions disposed.-.in substantially parallel planes, the spaced portions of each of said stiffening members beingconnected by portions which converge towardeach other, corresponding parallel portions of said membersv being respectively provided flanges projecting away from and toward each other, said converging portions of the stiffeners being respectively l' provided with flanges projecting on oppositessides thereof.

8. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, of a plurality of stiffeiiing members secured to the door, each of said members having a portion spaced below the floor of the car andprojecting beyond the adjacent side 'of the car for cooperation with mechanism to support the door in closed position, the downwardly spaced portions of the members being respectively provided with top flanges, and means rigidly with secured to the underside of the said top flanges'V for rigidly connecting the ,said

downwardly spaced portions ,of the members.

9, In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, of a plurality of stiffening members secured to the door, each of said members having a portion spaced below the car lOOrand'prOjecting beyond an adjacent side of the carfor cooperating withy mechanism to support the door in kclosed position, the downwardlyspaced portions of said members being -respectively provided with angularly disposed portions,

and means rigidly secured to said angularly disposed portions for connecting the downwardly spacedportionsof the members.

l0. In a railway car having aladingdischarge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, of a plurality of stiffening members secured to the door, each of said members having a portion spaced below the car floor and projecting beyondthe adjacent side Vofthe car to cooperate with mechanism forsupporting the door in closed position, said downwardly spaced portions of each member 'having a top flange and a portion substantially normal thereto, and a flanged member rigidly secured/'to said top flange and said normal portion of each 'meml ber for connecting the downwardly spaced portions thereof.

11. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, of a plurality of stiffening members secured to the door, each of said members having a portion spaced below the car floor and projecting outwardly beyond an adjacent side of the car for cooperating with mechanism to support the door in closed position, and an angle member-connecting said downwardly spaced portions of the stiffening members, each flange of said angle member being rigidly secured to each stilfening member.

12. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening, of a plurality of still'ening members respectively provided with top flanges and portions substantially normal thereto, said members having spaced portions arranged substantially parallel with each other, one of said portions of each member being secured to the door and the other projecting outwardly beyond an adjacentside of the car for cooperating with mechanism to support the door in closed position, the spaced parallel portions of the members being respectively connected by downwardly inclined portions which converge toward each other, the convergence of the top flanges of said inclined'portions being greater than the convergence of the normal portions thereof.

13. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing said opening,of a plurality of stiffening members for the door respectively provided with langes and webs, each of said members having a portion secured to the door and aportion projecting outwardly beyond the adjacent side of the car for cooperating with mechanism to support the door in closed position, said portions of the members being respectively connected by downwardly inclined portions which converge toward each other, the convergence of the flanges of said inclined portions being greater than the convergence of the webs thereof.

14. In a gondola car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a door for closing the opening, of a stiffening member for the door, said member being provided with reversely disposed channel sections, one of which underlies and is secured to thedoor and the other of which projects outwardly beyond an adjacent side of the car for cooperation with mechanism to support the door in closed position, said member being provided with means for pivotally connecting the door to the car body.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

Y WILLIAM E. WINE. 

